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A First Timer in Font

Fontainebleau has been on my radar ever since I first saw a video of the magical sandstone forest about four years ago. After climbing for a few years and becoming more involved in the community, I had heard countless stories of how this place is truly something special. I knew I had to experience it […]

Adaptive Climbing at Berkeley Ironworks

Are you the climber who converts ground-dwelling friends into chimps and crushers? We know the feeling. At Touchstone, we think that everyone should climb. And by everyone, we mean everyone! This is why Berkeley Ironworks has teamed up with Adaptive Adventures and the Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program (BORP) to create a monthly adaptive […]

Trip Report: Alabama Hills

Each winter season hundreds of climbers speed through the sleepy Eastern Sierra town of Lone Pine, continuing north on Highway 395 to the popular bouldering destinations outside of Bishop, California. The boulders of Bishop are world-class, and their position in the warm desert climate makes them perfectly suited to winter excursions. Yet the climbing options […]

Veteran’s PATH at Great Western Power Co.

The day that Veteran’s PATH visit us at Great Western Power Company was a day full of peace, support, and fun for both our staff and for the veterans. Veteran’s PATH (the acronym standing for “peace,” “acceptance,” “transformation,” and “honor”) is a non-profit organization that began in 2008 to enable returning veterans to rediscover meaning, purpose and […]

Brandy in Spain

“Spain is wonderful! Nate and I have become the most active winos we know,” I said, slurring slightly, to our new Australian friend Matt. While I was half-joking at the time that this would be the first line of the impending Touchstone Blog article, I knew that half-joking statements sometimes wind up being entirely serious […]

Announcing: Verdigo Boulders

Get excited Burbank, because we’re coming for you! Remember that Name Our Gym contest we held back in May? Well, not only is this new project fully underway, we now have a great name to go along with it! That’s right, in what will be the fourth Touchstone Climbing gym in the Greater LA Area, we are […]

Trip Report: Burst Rock

Toeing the line of the Central Sierra’s Emigrant Wilderness at a wind-sucking elevation of 8,500 feet, the colorful granite buttresses of Burst Rock have been a favorite early autumn climbing destination for Sonora Pass locals since the 1990s. The routes on the intimidating North Face of Burst Rock mainly consist of elegant, tall crack climbs […]

Giving Trees for Homeless Youth at Touchstone South

As the holiday season picks up steam, we’re excited to spread a little extra cheer through organizations that are doing incredible work in our local communities. Outreach and community engagement are amongst our founding principles at Touchstone, whether it’s raising money for the Access Fund or giving our neighbors an opportunity to try out climbing for […]